Abu Dhabi, UAE: The Institute at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) is launching today its fifteenth season with a focus on the environment, titled A Series of Wonder and Reflection. A series of talks and conferences will mark the region’s efforts to provide sustainable solutions to the rapid and urgent changes in the environment, while championing international collaboration and preserving the past as inspiration for the future. The events will feature leaders in the fields of politics, economics, and law, among others. 

Highlights this month include Chairperson and Managing Director of Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group Raja Al Gurg, who will discuss her celebrated book, The Power of Authenticity: Three Principles of Leadership Success. Audiences are set to gain unique perspectives on authentic leadership in the Arab world’s business landscape and learn about Al Gurg’s advocacy for Arab women entrepreneurs.  

In light of the approaching COP28, NYUAD Visiting Professor of Business, Organizations and Society Barbara Scheck will lead a panel discussion entitled Sustainable Finance Towards Climate Action, along with panelists from the field.The event will discuss sustainable finance within the UAE and the role of banking institutions in pioneering green finance to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set for COP28. 

Vice Chancellor of NYUAD Mariët Westermann will also moderate a talk between Executive Artistic Director at The NYUAD Arts Center Bill Bragin, independent editor Nadine Khalil, and curator, critic, and photographer Waleed Shah. Documenting a Performing Arts History will enable speakers to ponder the significance and meaning of arts documentation, while reflecting on their collaborative journey capturing seven years of The Arts Center’s history. 

Commenting on the launch of the new season, Senior Director of The Institute and Professor of Literature and Arab Crossroads at NYUAD Maurice Pomerantz said: “Wonder has long been understood as an impetus to further curiosity, thought, and the spark for human creativity. But by recognizing that wonder alone is not enough, this latest series questions the practical steps we can take to preserve our ecosystems for future generations. It is with this in mind that we celebrate our fifteenth season at the NYUAD Institute with the theme of ‘Wonder and Reflection’. We aim to explore how the rapid and urgent changes to our environment are pushing leaders to develop innovative long-term strategies in diverse fields, inspiring us with the stories they tell about the world, and prompting us to reflect on the stories we tell about ourselves.”

Furthermore, a talk entitled Shattered Glass of Beirut: Conserving Lebanese History Together, will be led by Senior Conservator and Researcher in the Department of Collection Care at the British Museum Duygu Çamurcuoğlu. In partnership with the Dhakira Center, Çamurcuoğlu will relate the story of 72 valuable glass artifacts that were shattered during the 2020 Beirut Port Explosion. It will underscore the pivotal role of international collaboration, training, and outreach in heritage conservation.

September Event Information

  • Event: The Power of Authenticity: A Conversation with Dr. Raja Al Gurg
    • Date: September 7, 6:30-8pm
    • Venue: NYUAD Conference Center
  • Event: Shattered Glass of Beirut: Conserving Lebanese History Together
    • Date: September 12, 6:30-8pm
    • Venue: NYUAD Conference Center
  • Event: Documenting a Performing Arts History
    • Date: September 14, 6-7:30pm
    • Venue: NYUAD Conference Center
  • Event: Sustainable Finance Towards Climate Action
    • Date: September 18, 6:30pm
    • Venue: NYUAD Conference Center
  • Event: Researching the Leadership of the Prophet Muhammad: Issues of Truth, Objectivity and Bias.
    • Date: September 25, 6:30-8pm
    • Venue: NYUAD Conference Center
  • Event: Why Experiment with Ancient Technologies?
    • Date: September 28, 6:30-8pm
    • Venue: NYUAD Conference Center

Additional highlights

  • Event: MARSS International Conference on Manipulation, Automation, and Robotics at Small Scales 
    • Date: October 9-13
    • Venue: NYUAD Conference Center (A6)
  • Event: American Chemical Society (ACS) for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) Regional Conference: Chemistry for Future Sustainable Societies
    • Date: February 4-7, 2024 
    • Venue: NYU Abu Dhabi

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Biography

Maurice Pomerantz is a Professor of Literature and Arab Crossroads at New York University Abu Dhabi. He also serves as the Senior Director of the NYUAD Institute where he oversees a wide range of public lectures, academic conferences, and spearheads strategic initiatives.  Pomerantz is a noted expert in the literature of the Abbasid period. He completed his PhD in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago in 2010, and has traveled, lectured, researched, and taught throughout the Middle East. He has been a Fulbright Senior scholar in Lebanon and Jordan since 2012, and a Member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton since 2015. Prof. Pomerantz is also editor of The Library of Arabic Literature published by NYU press, a position he has held since 2014. He wrote Licit Magic: The Life and Letters of al-Ṣāḥib b. ʿAbbād, the first study of letters of the tenth-century vizier and littérateur al-Ṣāḥib b. ʿAbbād. The book portrays the vital role that literary eloquence played in early Muslim statecraft. His most recent book, co-authored with Bilal Orfali, The Maqāmāt of Badīʿ al-Zamān al-Hamadhānī: Authorship,Texts, and Contexts, explores important dimensions of the life of the picaresque tales known as maqāmāt. 

About NYU Abu Dhabi

www.nyuad.nyu.edu

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective program with majors in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, arts, and humanities with a world center for advanced research. Its campus enables students to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world, and to advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from some 125 countries and speak over 100 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.